Nightmare (1981)

AKA: Nightmares In A Damaged Brain

Starring: Baird Stafford
Director: Roman Scavolini


Premise:
A supposedly cured mental patient is released. Then immediately goes on a killing spree.

My Take:
I'm not even sure what to say about this movie. It's bad and acting is annoying and my finger was on the fast forward button a lot. The one positive is there's a lot of gore and old school special effects. And maybe that's why people seem to love this cult classic.

Rating: Steaming Pile

 




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The Evil Twins (2007)

AKA: Jeonseol-ui Gohyang

Starring: Shin-Hye Park

Director: Kim Ji-Hwan


Premise:
After awakening from a coma and teen has no memory of how her twin sister died. Soon, she learns the family secret as her sister returns from the grave.

My Take:
I couldn't get into the movie and was not paying close attention. The result was a confusing movie. Maybe you will have better luck with it.

Rating: Warning






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River Monsters, Season 5 (2013)

Starring: Jeremy Wade



Premise:
Jeremy Wade investigate mysteries of fresh water animal attacks on humans throughout the globe.

My Take:
I love this show and how Wade takes a case and meticulously tries to figure out what kind of fish could be responsible. Often he is surprised by the results. It's rather amazing the creatures living underneath the water.

Favorite Episode:
"The Legend of Loch Ness" - Wade tries to figure out what creature, if any, lives in Loch Ness. His investigation leads to places where I have never seen anyone take it such as Viking lore and creatures of North Sea. It's interesting without providing concrete answers.

Rating: So Good





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Father's Day (2012)

Starring: Amy Groening, Mackenzie Murdock, Adam Brooks, Matthew Kennedy, Conor Sweeney
Director: Adam Brooks, Matthew Kennedy, Steven Kostanski, Conor Sweeney, Jeremy Gillespie


Premise:
A man bent on revenge, a priest who wants to do good, and a street hustler team up to put a stop to "The Father's Day Killer"

My Take:
This movie took me down paths which I never saw coming. What starts out as a unlikely trio teaming up to stop a psycho who rapes men and brutally kills them, goes off into an entirely different place in the last third. The cast plays it straight while never taking the material too seriously. There's a lot of comedy and "taboo" shattering ideas here and they ride the line with ease. I eagerly wait the group's next effort.

Rating: So Good






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Haze (2005)

Starring: Shinya Tsukamoto
Director: Shinya Tsukamoto


Premise:
A man wakes up in room and doesn't know why he is there. He must endure physical and mental abuse to try and figure out what has happened.

My Take:
Shinya Tsukamoto is one of my favorite directors. His work is so cerebrally bizarre and brutual yet comes with a huge dose of humanity. This short is no different. He pacts more emotional pain in 20 minutes than some movies get all together. He makes a very basic storyline and turns it into unique perfection. I highly recommed watching this if you are a fan of his work or as a starting off point of the directors catalog.

Rating: So Good






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Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem - A Klock Opera (2013)

Starring: Tommy Blacha, Brendon Small, Mark Hamil, Malcolm McDowell


Premise:
The band trys to go on without Toki and discovers they aren't really Dethklock without him. So the go and rescue him from their nemesis and face their personal demons in the process.

My Take:
This one off, all done in heavy rock opera style, is absolutely amazing. If you are a fan then this will satisfy. It's everything great about the show in one long music marathon. And there is even a teaser for what will certainly be another season.

Rating: Instant Classic






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Entity (2013)

Starring:  Charlotte Riley, Dervla Kirwan, Branko Tomovic
Director: Steve Stone


Premise:
A British TV crew head to the remote Siberian forest try to uncover a mystery of 34 unidentified bodies found in shallow graves. The crew finds more than they bargained for when they stumble upon an abandoned hospital.

My Take:
While I am growing a little tired of the "found footage" subgenere and the abandoned building setting, this one was brings enough to more than hold my attention. There are penty of genuine creepy stuff and scares in the movie. Yes, there are a few issues but over all it is more entertaining than most of this variety.

Rating: So Good






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Jugface (2013)

Starring: Lauren Ashley Carter, Larry Fessenden, Sean Young, Sean Bridgers
Director: Chad Crawford Kinkle


Premise:
A rural community in the woods have always made sacrifice to the creature in the pit in order for protection. When a pregnant teen is chosen to be next, she makes an attempt to run away.

My Take:
A slow burning and subtle movie that takes the viewer in the heart of an interesting Southern, deep woods community and their ways of living. The movie is superbly acted and great restraint by the director. It could have easily been an over the top creature feature and instead leans way more towards a psycological thriller. An outstanding movie with the director being one to watch.

Rating: So Good





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Dust Up (2013)

Starring: Amber Benson, Jeremiah Birkett
Director: Ward Roberts


Premise:
A meth head's family is saved from a crazy drug dealer by a former marine and his Indian friend. The drug lord enlists his followers to enact revenge on what he thinks is owed.

My Take:
A rather outlandish movie which has it's moments. The cast is what really holds this together as they all take their silly characters serious dispite the over the top nature of the tale. Some good gore gags help the cause. It's a watchable, dont think about it too hard movie which is easily forgotten about afterwards.

Rating: In the middle







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Haven: Season 4 (2013)

Starring: Emily Rose, Eric Balfour, Lucas Bryant, Adam Copeland, John Dunsworth



Premise:
A small town in Maine is known for people having supernatural powers.

Season four is all about finding out why Haven has the troubles and how Audrey is connected.

My Take:
This season takes the viewers through several twists and turns (and a few characters). Audrey is saved from by a mysterious man and returns to Haven where the Guard is ready to kill her because the troubles haven't disappeared.  The problem, she doesn't know who Audrey Parker is or why she is in Haven or how she got there. A lot of truth is uncovered a long the way as are a few new wrinkles. It will be an interesting season five and hard to top.

Favorite Episode:
none. most this were really good.

Rating: So Good



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Strip Mahjong Battle Royal (2012)

AKA:  Datsui - Majan Batoru Rowaiaru

Starring: Hiroaki Kawatsure
Director: Mac P. Forever


Premise:
Four women wake up in a prison. They are forced to play Mahjong for a web show where the losers get stripped of their clothes and eventually their lives.

My Take:
Yawn. Random girls are captured. Play mahjong. Get tortured and stripped, often in sexual ways, but there is no reason behind it. The only slightly worthwhile character is the deviant, over the top host of this "game". Dont get me wrong, I enjoy topless women as much as any one else but at least give me a story.

Rating: Steaming Pile





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Frankenstein's Army (2013)

Starring: Karl Roden
Director: Richard Raaphorst


Premise:
During WWII, soldiers find a hidded Nazi base where Dr. Frankenstein is beforming human experiments trying to create monster soldiers in order to turn the war around.

My Take:
There is a lot to like about this movie. There story is interesting as it combines a lot of different elements. The second half reminded me of a crazy, first person shooter, horror video game. The make effects and nightmarish monsters are incredibly. The cast is decent too. But the huge fault was making it a "found footage" style movie. Everything is first person point of view and cameras back then were larger, heavier, and noisier. Not to mention film reels would have to be inserted every few minutes. Sorry, I can't suspend my disbelief these sort on facts and so it ruined the movie a bit for me. Maybe others wont care about this detail. And in any case, the film is certain unique and worth watching

Rating: In the middle (maybe more)






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Muoi: Legend of a Portrait (2007)

Starring: Ye-ryeon Cha, An Jo
Director: Tae-kyeong Kim


Premise:
A writer visits her friend in Vietnam to try and come up with an idea for her next novel. She becomes engrossed with an old legend about a vengeful spirit and soon begins to think the spirit is after her.

My Take:
An atomospheric and moody movie with good practical effects. The story is rather average and familiar if one has seen a lot of Asian horror, but at least it is executed by the cast and director with style making the flick better than it probably should be.

Rating: In the middle






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Being Human, Season 5 [UK version] (2013)

Starring: Michael Socha, Damien Molony, Kate Bracken



Premise:
As a vampire, ghost, and werewolf try to figure out how to live together and stay under humanities radar, they find an adversary in Satan who is living amoung humans, regaining strength, and waiting to  unlease Hell on Earth.

My Take:
The final season of the original UK series ends with the new cast (all the originals are now gone) getting redemption. It's an adequate wrap up for a show which lost steam the last couple of season. The new cast is likeable enough but it's not necessarily the same show it started out to be.

Favorite Episode:
none

Rating: In the middle

 




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Legend of the Psychotic Forest Ranger (2011)

Starring: Michael G. MacDonald,
Director: Brad Mills


Premise:
A group of teens are stranded in the woods when they find an abandoned cabin. Before long they are visited by "the legend of the psychotic forest ranger" and death follows

My Take:
If one is in the mood for bad acting and an attempt at 80's style slasher then this movie might be for you. I found it to be not very watchable and full of annoying characters delivering bad jokes. If you are purposely trying to make a throwback then at least fill it with nudity and viscera to cover up the plot hole and terrible dialog. I call this a failed attempt.

Rating: Warning

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Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)

Starring: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Barbara Hershey, Lin Shaye, Leigh Whannell
Director: James Wan


Premise:
After the incident in the first movie, the Lambert family moves into the mother's home while police investigation occurs. Soon they realize that their haunting troubles are not yet over. 

My Take:
I am really torn by the movie. One one hand it provides decent scares, looks great, and continues the story from the original. On the other hand the story is so far out there that it really takes away from all the good. We have what is essentially ghost time travel and yet another apparition haunting the family. In the context of what the story, it works and all answers are tied together nicely. But it is a stretch to believe it all. 

Rating: In the middle

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The Supernaturals (1986)

Starring: Nichelle Nicols, LeVar Burton, Maxwell Caulfield, Talia Balsam
Director: Arnand Mastroianni


Premise:
A platoon of Army soldiers are on a training mission in the Southern woods when ghosts of slained Confederate soldiers come out and take revenge.

My Take:
Kind of a confusing and boring movie. Not sure if the slain soldiers are zombies, ghosts, or something else. And it's not really told why or how they have risen. Plus characters are very one dimensional. Maybe this is proof that some things from the 80's should stay buried (oh what a terrible joke).

Rating: Warning

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Zombie 108 (2012)

Director: Joe Chien


Premise:
A virus turns people into zombies which swarm the streets of Taipei.

My Take:
Tawain's first entry into the zombie world is rather disappointing. It's a lot of the same things seen before, the surviving humans are more sadistic than the zombies, and too many convoluted seperate characters stories at once (such as a serial killer and a gang and a terrorist and a mother trying her find her daughter). They all end in the same place at the end... dead. And one really doesn't care about any of these characters. However, there are good special effects and cinemaphotography looks excellent. 

Rating: Warning

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Aftershock (2013)

Starring: Eli Roth, Lorenz Izzo, Nicolas Martinez, Andrea Osvart
Director: Nicolas Lopez


Premise:
A group of friends try to get out of a Chilean city alive after an earthquake devastates the town and a tsunami is bearing down.

My Take:
In order for a distaster movie to work for me then I must care about some characters. In this flick, I could care less for any of these spoiled, whiny idiots. The effects are decent but few and far between. And there is just a lot of people running around and screaming. 

Rating:Warning

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Resolution (2013)

Starring: Peter Ciella, Vinny Curran, Bill Oberst Jr.
Director: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead


Premise:
A man tries to save his best friend from his drug addiction by forcing him to detox in the abandoned house the friend is squatting in. 

My Take:
This movie will surely divide people into a love it or hate it category. There's a lot here which is left up to viewer interpretation and I think multiple viewings will provide more depth to what actually happens. The movie throws multiple horror cliches at the audience then molds it into a very unique tale with an rather ambigious ending. A big stregth lies with the two main characters, the caring best friend and the junkie who doesn't want to quit, as the relationship feels strong and real and often quite funny. If you want a clear cut story with answers clearly put in front of you, then this is probably not the flick for you. It's definitely requires some thinking, reflection, and piecing together what you have seen.

Rating: Instant Classic

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The Strange Call, Season 1 (2012)

Starring: Toby Truslove, Barry Crocker


Premise:
A police offer gets reassigned to a smalll town where odd things keep occuring.

My Take:
This initial season has a police officer dealing with such things as a cat returning from the dead, a mermaid, a man turning into a chicken, and a few other items. It's quirky and at times funny as the officer adjusts to his new surroundings, towns folk, and the crazy old man he has to live with, who ends up being is side kick and biggest ally. It will be interesting to see if the show continues and where it may lead. 

Rating: In the middle

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Horror Hungry Humongous (1991)

Starring: Jack Palance
Director:Randal Dininni



Premise:
A scientist creates a living monster from body parts of the deceased. The creature escapes and attacks a group of teens camping out in the woods.

My Take:
Wow, this is a stinker. It incoherent, pays no attention to time lines, there is constant editing and script mistakes. Not to mention the horrible acting and poor special effects. It's a very bad movie, even for Troma standards. Somewhere in this mess does lie a vaguely interesting story concept, but it is no where near close to being examined.

Rating: Steaming Pile

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Bath Salts Zombies (2013)

Starring: Ethan Holey, Josh Eal
Director: Dustin Mills


Premise:
A new street drug called "Bath Salts" turns it users into highly addictive flesher eaters.

My Take:
This move had promise with it's interesting story and decent gore gags. The lead actor gets a lot of credit for his facial contortions which enhance the make up and special effects. But there is way too much lag time and long scenes. A tighter script with a little more story would have made this a lot better. But for a movie on a micro-budget, I have seen much worse. And I will keep an eye out on the director as he seems to have a lot of promise.

Rating: Warning

 

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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